Rail-car truck



ATTO RN EY5 Feb. 26, 1935. c. SAURER RAIL CAR TRUCK Filed Aug. 20, 1931 4'Sheets-Sheet 1 2 an mm a n Emm a a m m P w f: m mmunn Mn MHHHHHHEWHHMH 1 m C. SAURER RAIL CAR TRUCK Feb. 26, 1935.

Filed Aug. 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 01m fiaurer ATTO RN EY5 Feb. 26, 1935. c. SAURER 1,992,506

RAIL CAR TRUCK Filed Aug. 20. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,.L 47 ,gr- ".3 "a fag/0W! I INVENTOR Cur? Saurer ATTO RNEY5 Feb. 26, 1935. c. SAURER 1,992,506

RAIL CAR TRUCK INVENTOR Burk Saumr ATTO RN EY5 Patented Feb. 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE RAIL-CAR TRUCK Curt Saurer, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application August 20, 1931,'SerlalNo. 558,257 4 Claims. -(o1. 105-452) This invention relates to rail-car trucks, and more especially it relates to trucks for use on railway Passenger cars wherein the comfort of the passengers is increased by the suppression of vibration caused by the passage of the truck over the rails.

The most persistent and annoying vibrations in railway coaches are the constant short vibrations set up in the wheels by reason of fiat spots thereon or from misaligned or spaced apart rail ends. It has been proposed to dampen and suddue these vibrations by the use of resilient material such as rubber incorporated in the structure of the wheels, but this has been found to be I impractical for the wheels of railway trucks due to the heat generated in the wheels during braking, which heat quickly destroys the rubber. This invention contemplates the use of rubber insulation within the car-truck structure as a 20 means for preventing the translation of vibrations to the coach.

The chief objects of the invention are to dampen the vibration of the wheels of a railway truck close to the points of origin of said vibra- 25 tion; and yieldingly to resist swaying of a railway coach. In general the invention aims to increase the comfort of railway travel.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway truck embodying the invention in its preferred form;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 .is a plan. view, on a larger scale, of the central bearing insulation of the truck;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5--5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a section, on a larger scale, on the line 77 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a section, on a larger scale, on the line 8-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a section, on a larger scale, on the line 9-9 of Figure 1; v

Figure 10 is a section on the line 1010 of Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a section, on a larger scale, on the line 1111 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, is a generally rectangular truck frame that is formed on opposite sides with transversely aligned, downwardly extending pedestals 21, 21 in which are mounted respective journal boxes 22, 22 for a plurality of axles 23, 23, herein shown as three in number,

each axle carrying'the usual pair of wheels 24, 24. Extending longitudinally of the truck beneath the lateral members of the frame are respective equalizer bars 25, 25 which are supported upon the journal boxes 22, and respective pairs of helical springs 26, 26 are positioned between the upper side of each equalizer bar and the under side of the frame 10.

Mounted between the end portions and the middle portion of each equalizer bar 25, and the journal boxes 22 which support it, are resilient o insulators 27, the details of which are best shown in Figure 9. Each insulator 2'7 comprises a block of resilient rubber composition 28, a bottom plate 29, and a top plate 30, which plates are adhesively attached to the rubber preferably by vulcanization. The bottom plate 29 may seat in a suitable shallow recess formed in thetop of the journal box, and the top plate 30 may have a tongue and groove connection with the 20 equalizer bar 25, as is shown at 31, Figure 9. The insulators 2? absorb much of the vibration coming through the wheels and axles of the truck.

-Pivotally mounted upon the truck frame 10 and depending therefrom are respective pairs of spring hangers 35, 35, the free ends of each pair being connected by the usual spring plank 36 that is disposed transversely of the frame. The spring hangers support laminated springs 3'7, 37 on 30 opposite sides of the truck, and each pair of laminated springs support a transverse bolster 38 that is disposed transversely of the truck. As

shown herein there are two pairs of laminated springs 37 supporting two transverse bolsters 38.

Mounted upon the transverse bolsters 38 is a center bolster 40 comprising four leg members 40 40 two legs of which rest on each transverse bolster. Positioned between the bolster legs 40 and the transverse bolsters 38 are respective insulators, each comprising a cushion layer of resilient rubber 41, a top plate 42, and a bottom plate 43, said plates being of metal vulcanized to the rubber. The top plate 42 is secured to the bolster leg 40 by cap screws 44, 44 and the bottom plate 43 is similarly secured to the transverse bolster 38, as is most clearly, shown in Figure 11.

The primary function of the insulation under the legs of the center bolster is to repress and subdue vibrations and torsional strain of the truck frame arising from lateral misalignment of the track rails or other causes. The rubber cushion 41 and plates 42, 43 being vulcanized to each other puts the rubber in tension resisting engagement with said plates whereby vibrations and torsional strain of the truck frame, translated through the transverse bolster 38, is resisted through the shearing action on the rubber. The ability of rubber to absorb vibration through shearing action has been found to be superior to other methods of using rubber for damping vibration.

The center bolster 40 also carries the central bearing for the truck, said bearing comprising a lower bearing plate 45 that is secured to said bolster, and an upper bearing plate 48 that is concentrically swiveled upon the plate 45, said bearing plates being secured against separation by the usual king pin (not shown). The central bearing supports the body of the coach which is secured to the upper bearing plate 46, and interposed between the coach structure and upper bearing plate is an insulating stiucture that is best shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

Said insulating structure comprises a plurality of angular insulating units 47, 47, (herein shown as four in number) which are mounted upon a radial flange 46 formed on the upper bearing plate 46, and are uniformly disposed about the axis of said bearing plate. Each insulating unit 4'7 comprises a layer of resilient rubber 48, a metal bottom plate 49, and a metal top plate 50, the rubber being vulcanized to the adjacent faces of the metal plates. The insulating units 47 are generally square in plan, and have one side turned upwardly at right angles to fit against respective fiat portions 46', 46, formed on the axial portion of the upper bearing plate 46, said axial portion having the shape of a Greek cross as is most clearly shown in Figure 4. The upturned portion of each bottom plate 49 is angularly bent at its lateral margins as shown at 49, 49 so as to embrace the faces of the axial portion of the upper bearing plate 46 that are disposed at right angles to the fiat portions 46 thereof, at each side of the latter. The insulating units 47 are secured to the upper bearing plate 46 by cap screws 51, 51 which secure the lower plates 49 of the units to flange 46 of the bearing plate. The upper plate 50 of the insulating units are secured to a part of the coach structure indicated at 52, Figure 5, by cap screws indicated at 53 in the same figure.

The arrangement is such that both vertical and horizontal vibration of the truck is subdued and absorbed in the insulators 47 by reason of their resistance to compression, so that little if any of such vibration is translated to the coach. The insulators 47 also serve to cushion and smooth the relative angular movement of the respective members 45, 46 of the central bearing, and. torsional strains set up between the coach structure and bearing member 46 are yieldingly cushioned both by the resistance to compression and resistance to tension of the rubber layers 48, the resistance to tension being the result of adhesion of the rubber to the relatively movable metal plates 49, 50.

Mounted upon each side of the truck is a side bolster 55, the respective ends of which rest upon the adjacent ends of the two transverse bolsters 38. p The middle of each side bolster normally is provided with a wear-block adapted to be engaged by a suitable abutment 56 extending downwardly from the coach structure to limit rocking movement of the latter. This invention comprises means for yieldingly cushioning the rocking movement of the coach, said means consisting of resilient insulators which may be positioned between the side bolsters and the transverse bolsters, or in the middle of the side bolsters, or in both places. Both constructions are shown herein.

The details of the insulation between the ends of the side bolsters 55 and the transverse bolsters 38 are shown in Figure '7, wherein the insulating member comprises a layer of resilient rubber 57 having a bottom plate of metal 58 adhesively united to one face and a top plate of metal 59 adhesively attached to its opposite face. The bottom plate 58 is attached to the transverse bolster 38 by cap screws 60, 60, and the top plate 58 is similarly secured to the side bolster 55.

The insulation between the middle of each side bolster 55 and the abutment 56 on the coach is best shown in Figure 8 wherein the bolster 55 is shown with a central recess 160 in which is mounted an insulator comprising a resilient rubber cushion 61 having a. metal bottom plate 62 and metal top plate 63 adhesively secured to its lower and upper faces. Preferably the top plate 63 extends onto the lateral marginal portions of the cushion 61 whereby it is adapted, by engagement with the bolster structure, to limit compression of the cushion 61. The top plate 63 normally may be in contact with the abutment 56 of the coach, but preferably it is slightly spaced therefrom as shown.

The rubber insulators for the side bolsters of the truck will prevent jolting of the coach due to swaying, and will allow for slight unevenness of the roadbed or rails without causing the coach to sway. Compression of the rubber insulators due to swaying will serve to subdue the swaying and keep the coach steadier.

Each of the insulators of the truck is constructed and positioned so as most efflciently to perform the particular function for which it was designed, with the result that vibration and swaying of the coach is materially reduced and the comfort of car riders increased. Since all of the rubber insulators are adhesively secured to metal plates, there is but little wear on the rubber with the result that replacement of the insulators is relatively infrequent.

Modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims which are not limited wholly to the specific construction shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A rail-car truck comprising a center bearing adapted to be connected to a coach structure,

and L-shaped resilient rubber insulators mounted between L-shaped metal wear plates and vulcanized thereto, positioned radially about said center bearing between the bearing structure and the coach and secured to each of them in a manner to resist translation of vertical and horizontal vibrations and torsional strain through the bearing.

2. A rail-car truck comprising a center bearing adapted to be connected to a coach structure, said bearing including upper and lower plates, each of said plates being formed with confronting vertical and horizontal portions, and resilient rubber insulators between the bearing and coach, said insulators being angular to conform to each of the vertical and horizontal portions of the bearing plates, 9. vertical portion of each of said insulators being confined between said confronting vertical portions of said upper and lower plates for resiliently resisting relative lateral movement thereof and a horizontal portion of each of said insulators being confined between said confronting horizontal portions of said upper and lower plates for resiliently resisting relative vertical movement thereof.

3. A rail-car truck comprising a centerbearing adapted to be connected to a coach structure, said bearing including pairs of upper and lower plates, the upper and lower plates of each of said pairs of plates being formed with confronting vertical and horizontal portions, and resilient rubber insulators between plates, said insulators being angular to conform to each of the vertical and horizontal portions of the bearing plates and being confined therebetween, the rubber insulators being vulcanized to the bearing plates which are secured respectively the pairs of bearing,

to the truck structure and coach structure, and arranged to absorb vibration through compression, tension and shear stress of the rubber.

4. A rail-car truck and coach construction comprising a side bolster formed with a central recess, a resilient rubber insulator interposed between the central portion of the bolster and an abutment extending downwardly from the coach, a metal wear plate vulcanized to the upper face of the rubber insulator and adapted to be engaged by the abutment, and a metal plate vulcanized to the lower face of said insulator and adapted to seat within the central recess in said side bolster.

CURT SAURER. 

